


Survival Instincts

by scratchingpost1



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-26
Updated: 2010-10-26
Packaged: 2017-10-12 21:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/129429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scratchingpost1/pseuds/scratchingpost1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters and settings are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. We are thankful for permission to play with them.</p><p>Note 1: This takes place in an alternate book seven. Dumbledore died, but he was not killed by Severus. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not go in search of Horcruxes.</p><p>Note 2: According to The Harry Potter Lexicon Hermione turned eighteen during the first month of book seven based on the birth date that J. K. Rowling gave her.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Survival Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters and settings are the intellectual property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. We are thankful for permission to play with them.
> 
> Note 1: This takes place in an alternate book seven. Dumbledore died, but he was not killed by Severus. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not go in search of Horcruxes.
> 
> Note 2: According to The Harry Potter Lexicon Hermione turned eighteen during the first month of book seven based on the birth date that J. K. Rowling gave her.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She'd made it through her N.E.W.T.s and had enjoyed her final feast in the Great Hall. It was time for her to board the Hogwarts Express for the final time. As she pulled her trunk towards the waiting train, she tried not to think about all the things she would never see again. There were so many memories, both wonderful and terrible. If she thought too much about them, she knew she would cry.

She was one of the last students walking towards the train. She hesitated. There were memories of the Hogwarts Express that she wasn't fully ready to face, but it was her only way home. She knew she was far too emotional to trust herself to Disapparate without splinching. She stood for several minutes watching the other students before a familiar voice called to her.

"Miss Granger."

She ignored the call. Twice more she heard her name, but she continued to act as though she hadn't heard.

"Hermione?"

Hearing Severus Snape use her first name brought on a flood memories. The only other time he had called her Hermione was on the Hogwarts Express on the trip back after the Christmas holiday.

**********

Hermione was thankful that she was able to have a whole car to herself. She'd had a terrible holiday and just wanted to be alone. She couldn't bear having students constantly wandering by her compartment. Sitting in the last car would almost certainly guarantee that no one would have reason to walk by. She only wondered which teacher would be assigned to her car.

Ever since the Death Eater attacks had started, a teacher had been assigned to each car of the Hogwarts Express on every trip. It was the only thing that kept some of the students in school. Without that added security measure, many of the parents would have taken their children out of school.

Once she was comfortably settled into the last compartment of the last car, she heard someone enter the car and take a compartment near the middle. She assumed it was a teacher, but she didn't feel like checking. As long as she was left alone, she didn't care.

She knew she should probably use the time on the train to catch up on studying for her N.E.W.T.s, but she kept getting distracted by the falling snow outside her window. Finally she gave up, put her books away and watched the large snowflakes as they fell. The sight was so soothing that she actually fell asleep.

A few hours later, she was woken suddenly when the train screeched to a halt. As she stood and reached for the door, the car lurched under her feet, and she was thrown to the floor. The floor seemed unsteady, and she was afraid to move. However, it was getting cold and dark, and she needed to find her wand while she could still see. She looked around for several minutes before she saw her wand lying on the floor near the window. She had to stretch to reach it. As her fingers closed around the wand, the car lurched again, and she just barely kept a grip on her wand.

"Lumos," she said. Nothing happened. "Lumos," she repeated. Still nothing happened. She tried a variety of spells to light the compartment or to warm it. Nothing worked. For the first time since she woke, she really began to worry.

Still afraid to move, she listened for any signs of anyone else around. She heard something that sounded a lot like metal creaking. She hoped it was someone coming to get her and not the train being ripped apart.

Just when she was about to give up and try to leave on her own, she saw someone outside her door. She couldn't tell who it was, and she really didn't care at that point. She was just happy that she was no longer alone. She inched towards the door, but stopped when the floor trembled beneath her.

The door opened and she felt and hand close around hers. "We have to hurry."

She recognized the voice. It was Professor Snape. "The train?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we are not safe here." He pulled her to her feet slowly and guided her into the corridor in front of him, keeping a hand on her arm.

"My magic isn't working," Hermione said.

"No magic works here," Snape said. "This particular stretch of land is a void for magic. It is rumored to be cursed. The train broke down while passing through." He pushed her slowly forward, and she heard the metal groan slightly. "It seems that our car broke away from the others and slipped off the track." Once more he urged her forward. "We need to hurry before we slip again, but move carefully."

Before they could take another step, the car moved again. Hermione was knocked off her feet and slid along the floor. She only stopped when she slammed into the back wall of the car. Pain shot up her left leg, and she cried out in pain. Before Snape found her, the car had stopped moving.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"My leg hit something," she said. "It hurts a lot." In the dark, she heard him moving, but she was still startled when she felt him touch her leg.

"I think the car is stable," he said and he felt her lower leg and foot.. "But we have most likely fallen too far to escape on our own. We will need to wait for someone to rescue us."

Hermione gasped as she felt him feel her upper leg.

"I apologize," he whispered. "I was checking to see how severe you injury is." He pulled his hands away. "You are not bleeding and your leg does not feel broken. You may have a sprain or a minor break."

Hermione nodded but soon realized he couldn't see her. "In my trunk, I have some candles and some matches," she said. "If you can find my trunk, we could have some light."

Snape said something she didn't understand and disappeared for several minutes. When he returned, he was carrying one lit candle in one hand and a bundle of fabric in the other. He set the candle on the floor and opened the bundle of fabric.

Hermione realized that the bundle of fabric was actually some of her school robes, her cloak, and some blankets.

"It has stopped snowing," he said. "But the temperature is dropping. We need to stay warm until help arrives." He folded up one of the robes and placed it under her head.

"Thank you," she said. She shivered and realized for the first time just how cold it was.

Snape sat on the floor next to her and put her cloak over her as well as the blankets. He folded another of her robes into a pillow and put it down next to her. "We need to stay warm," he repeated.

Hermione watched him for several minutes. He was obviously cold, but he didn't move to lie down even though there were enough blankets for them to share.

"Professor Snape, I don't want you to freeze. We can share the blankets." She held up the blankets and cloak.

He turned away to check on the candle. "It would be inappropriate," he said.

"And freezing to death is appropriate." He didn't answer and didn't look at her. She reached out and grabbed his arm. He flinched, but didn't pull away completely. "We are both adults. We need to survive until help comes."

"You are my student."

"Do you think that would matter to anyone if they found us both dead?" she asked.

"I plan on making sure you survive," he said.

"And just how will you do that if you freeze to death?" She pulled a couple of the blanket off and tossed them around his shoulders. He pulled them off and tried to give them back to her. "No. I will only use them if you share them with me."

They stared at each other in the dim light for several minutes before Snape sighed. "You are insufferable as always."

Hermione smiled, held the blankets up and waited for him to lie down. He seemed uncomfortable and unsure as to what to do with his hands and arms. "I read once that shared body heat is the best protection against freezing cold." He moved to scoot away from her. "I just mean that we should get as close as possible in order to share warmth." She grabbed the front of his robes and pulled herself against his chest, lying her head against his shoulder. For a moment he stayed still, but soon he relaxed and put his arms around her. "I feel warmer already," she whispered.

"We should attempt to remain awake," he whispered. "It would not be wise to fall asleep under these conditions."

"So, let's talk," Hermione suggested.

Snape didn't offer any suggestions. So Hermione began by asking him about his trip to London to gather more potion ingredients. Soon they were discussing new potions he was developing. He hoped they could be used as defenses against Dark Arts attacks. Hermione was fascinated and kept asking more questions.

When she paused in her questioning, he asked her one of his own. "What are your plans for the future, Miss Granger?"

She wasn't really sure herself. To give herself time to think about her answer, she sidestepped the question. "We are huddled together under a mountain of blankets, trying to keep warm so we don't freeze to death. Must you be so formal? Please call me Hermione."

"Only if you will call me Severus," he responded. "And you failed to answer my question."

"Well, Severus, I don't know what I am going to do after I finish school. I suppose I could apply for a job with the Ministry, but that would mean more training. There is also the possibility of teaching at Hogwarts."

"There is another possibility, Hermione," he said. "You could become an apprentice to an experienced witch or wizard."

"I don't know any who would be interested in having me as an apprentice."

"I know of one," Snape said. "You have a gift for potions, Hermione. You could have a real career if you wanted to pursue it."

She didn't know how to respond. She was certain he was offering her an apprenticeship, but she didn't know if she wanted that. A shiver ran through her at the thought of working with him, and she wasn't sure why. He pulled her closer in response. When he did, their positions shifted causing his lips to brush across hers. She waited for a moment for him to pull away, but he didn't. Instead, he leaned into her and turned the brief contact into a kiss. His lips moved slowly and gently against hers for a moment. She responded in kind before he pulled away.

"I'm −" he said.

"Don't you dare apologize for that."

"It −"

"... was very nice," she whispered. "But it's not at all the way I expected you to kiss." She smiled at him, and was thrilled to see him smile in return.

He leaned in to kiss her again, but a loud noise startled them both.

"I found them!"

They both looked up at the sound of the voice and were surprised to see that the light in the car was not from the candle. It was morning, and daylight was streaming through the windows. They had been so entranced with each other that neither had noticed.

The rescue took less time than Hermione had expected. An experienced Muggle rescue crew got them out quickly. She was certain that the Muggles would have their memories of the rescue Obliviated before the day was over.

**********

Hermione and Professor Snape spent a few days in the hospital ward under Madam Pomfrey's care before being released.

Hermione was disappointed that Professor Snape seemed to be ignoring her completely. Even in class, he didn't single her out. He didn't give points or take points from Gryffindor for anything she did. She guessed it was to be expected. He was a teacher, and it would be inappropriate for them to let anyone know what had happened before they were rescued. However, it still hurt a little. She couldn't explain why her heart ached every time she saw him or heard his voice. She occasionally wondered if he felt the same twinge of pain when seeing her.

For a while, she tried to get his attention, but he always arrived to class on time and left promptly. She hoped to see him in the Great Hall during meals, but he was never there.

Finally, in desperation, she formed a plan to make him notice her. She deliberately used an incorrect potion ingredient during class. The result was more dramatic than she had planned. She was distracted, and accidentally added twice as much as she needed. Just as Professor Snape walked by her table, her cauldron exploded. She was hit by several shards of hot metal, and felt blood drip down her face and her arm.

Professor Snape turned to face her, and for a very brief moment, she saw genuine concern in his eyes. The look was gone in an instant, and he ordered two of her classmates to take her to the hospital wing.

Hermione spent the rest of that day and most of the next in the hospital wing. Harry and Ron stopped in to check on her, and she had a visit from Professor McGonagall. However, Professor Snape stayed away. After that, she began to wonder if she had imagined the kiss.

She still couldn't get him off her mind. Even if she had imagined it all, she couldn't deny that her feelings for him had changed since Christmas. He was not the same man she thought he was before, and she wanted to get to know him more. That he acted like he didn't even see her, hurt more than anything. It hurt more than the teasing from the Slytherins. It hurt more than the injuries from her exploding cauldron.

As much as she loved school, she was happy when it was finally over and she could go home. She didn't even go looking for Professor Snape before she followed the other students to the Hogwarts Express. If he didn't want to see her, she would not go looking for him.

**********

Hermione stopped but didn't turn when she heard him call her name. She knew she should just board the Hogwarts Express and go home.

"Hermione?"

There was something in Professor Snape's voice that made her turn around and face him even though she knew it would be painful. She wasn't prepared for what happened.

He rushed to her and pulled her against his chest. Before she could catch her breath, he pressed a fierce kiss to her lips. She could feel months of pent up emotions release as she returned his kiss. This was exactly how she had imagined he would kiss.

*********  
THE END  
*********


End file.
